Crab Orchard store damaged by nearby demolition work

CRAB ORCHARD - The demolition of a neighboring building collapsed a store roof Monday afternoon when part of a outer wall fell on it.

Danny Saylor, owner of Saylor Mart, said the wall of the adjacent building fell outward, onto the store roof, creating a gaping hole and narrowly missing a customer.

"There was a two story building here beside our store, ... and somehow a wall fell on our roof, instead of falling in," said Saylor.

The neighboring vacant building had been damaged by fire in March, when the adjacent Crab Orchard Springs Cafe burned. At the time, firefighters speculated that both the vacant building and the cafe would have to be torn down.

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Saylor estimated the hole to be 15 by 20 feet wide. When the dust settled, Saylor began noticing damage to the entire store structure.

"It's a mess, there's dust everywhere," said Saylor. "Right now, I'm thinking it's beyond repair. We've seen some cracks in the structure, so that's when we called the fire marshal."

Saylor said the fire marshal's office inspected the building Tuesday.

"Basically, he told us we shouldn't let any of the public in, and to turn off the electricity," said Saylor.

Saylor said the damage was substantial and he couldn't estimate the cost of repairs or the time it will take to return the store to working order.

"We'll probably re-open, but I don't know how long it will be," said Saylor.